Please join us for our annual Woodland Heritage Field Weekend and AGM.

Thursday June 21st afternoon:

Our weekend promises to be diverse, commencing with an afternoon visit to The Seed Unit and the outlying Clonal Orchards of Forestart Ltd the premier supplier of quality tree, shrub and wildflower seeds, based in the UK.

Friday June 22nd:

A full day will also be spent at Norbury Park Estate’s young woodlands and Sawmill with an introduction to the research and a site visit to the Birmingham Institute of Forestry Research’s (BIFor) Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment, set in mature, unmanaged, temperate woodlands. An optional late afternoon visit to the outlying Jubilee Wood plantation is also planned.

Saturday June 23rd:

Our final day will be spent at the beautiful and historic Weston Park which is set in more than 1,000 acres of park landscaped by Capability Brown and given to the nation in 1986 by the 7th Earl of Bradford, with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The 17th-century Hall is a Grade I listed building and retains its art collection with over 30,000 objects, and is open to the public. Several other features of the estate, such as the Orangery and the Stable block, are Grade II listed and so there will much to see and enjoy.

Our Field Weekends are very popular and numbers will be restricted.

Members will receive priority over others on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

For further information or to book a place, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our day will start with a tour of the workshops and showroom of Britain’s leading manufacturer of award winning garden furniture and kitchens. With over 24 years’ experience Gaze Burvill’s workshop thrives on the talented work of craftsmen, many of whom have trained with the firm to create its unique designs. Combined with new technology, every piece is hand built and hand finished to the highest standard. Gaze Burvill exhibit regularly at Chelsea and throughout the world. We will also be shown two new films, both funded by WH, one on managing small woodlands and the other on Acute Oak Decline. The afternoon will commence with our AGM before we drive to the nearby gardens of Rotherfield Park Estate.

Thursday June 15 afternoon:

Rotherfield Park Gardens, East Tisted, Hampshire. By kind permission of Sir James and Lady Scott

These extensive gardens around the house cover about twelve acres and are Grade II listed by English Heritage. They have been tended by six generations of Scotts (and their wives!) since 1808 and include an acre of walled garden within which the vegetables are planted according to the phases of the moon. There are glass houses, a dedicated peach and apricot house, and a vinery. Other features include a ha-ha, the remains of an ice house, a Lime avenue, clipped Yews, orchards and a new Willow cathedral. In 1928 Norah Lindsay produced a planting plan for one side of the house. Some of this remains, as do her notes in the Rotherfield archives.

Friday June 16:

Herriard Park Estate, Herriard, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. By kind permission of the Jervoise family

Led by William Hamer, Agent for the Estate, and assisted by Graham Taylor, WH Trustee, we will visit the historic Herriard Estate which has been in the same family for many generations – its ownership can be traced back to a lieutenant of William the Conqueror called Hugh De Port. It is set in wonderful parkland with much to see, including some of the tallest and cleanest Douglas Firs you might ever come across. The Estate is a strong advocate of a vibrant rural economy to support and maintain the beautiful countryside created by farmers and landowners. They are members of many national organisations that promote this, such as the NFU, the CLA and the RFS and they accept their responsibility to assist local groups, organisations and charity events.

Saturday June 17:

Kintbury Holt Woodlands, Kintbury, West Berkshire. By kind permission of the Stevens Family

Led again by William Hamer, Agent for the Estate, and Graham Taylor, we will visit this predominantly Oak woodland with some fine mature trees and some extraordinary plantings at wide spacing which actually work. Oaks raised from Kintbury’s own seed provenance and Farm Woodland planting. It is at Kintbury that Peter Goodwin planned to talk about Oaks of different ages and grades; selecting the ‘winners’; and to discuss the current demand and prices achieved for a parcel of winter felled Oak and what to do with the cankered Cherry. We will also see a demonstration of the traditional craft of Oak cleaving by a local man.

The board of trustees reserve the right to allocate up to 10% of any gift received in support of a specific project or purpose (a ‘restricted’ donation) towards the general costs of administering and managing the work required to enable the donor’s wishes to be fulfilled; where a gift is made without any specification as to how the money is to be spent (an ‘unrestricted’ donation) then up to 100% of the gift could be spent on ensuring that the charity has the ability to administer and manage its affairs to meet regulatory and supporters’ expectations. In order to ensure that as much money as possible can be spent on fulfilling the aims of the charity, management and administration costs are kept to a minimum and are reviewed and challenged on a regular basis by trustees.

Bye-law #2 – appointment of honorary officers

The charity’s Articles make no provision for the creation of any posts that might be held by honorary officers and it is under no duty to maintain roles such as Treasurer, Secretary or Chairman, the latter role only being specified as required to enable the business of meetings of members and the trustees to proceed with clear rules laid out as to how a Chairman is to be elected meeting-by-meeting. In dealings with members and external parties, however, the ability to convey the specific role of one or more trustees may be deemed beneficial and so the board of trustees reserve the right to create positions for honorary officers and to appoint one of their number to such role or roles and to then review those posts and appointments on a regular basis.

You should not just plant a tree, walk away and hope......you need to mind your “P”s !

1. PLANNING :

As with every successful project the key is clarifying your objectives and then doing your research.

What's your planting scheme ? What are the objectives of the planting ? Are you eventually going to produce quality timber ?

What species (Provenance) ? What spacing ? What management regime ? Succession planning – will there be continuity of management over two or three generations ?

2. PREPARATION :

Does the soil need amelioration or improvement? Spray off grass/existing ground cover to avoid smothering the young trees and competition for nutrients and light.

3. PROTECTION :

How are you going to protect the young trees from pests and avoid damage from grey squirrels, deer, rabbits, voles and ongoing competition from weeds.

4. PRUNING :

Are you going to carry out “Formative Pruning” and how often ?

5. PICKING :

When are you going to pick your final crop trees ? You need to thin out the weaker trees of poor form and give your winners the best environment to realise full Potential.

6. PRUNING :

Are you going to “High Prune” your final crop trees and if so when and how frequently ?

7. PATIENCE :

You are growing the trees for the generations that will follow you. Recognise that it is a long term Pursuit.

8. PRODUCE :

Harvest the selected trees, Process, Plank in a sawmill, dry and then resaw and Plane ... enjoy the most beautiful, natural and renewable raw material available to mankind.

9. PLOUGH :

Plough back some of the Profits into re-planting for future generations. Try to ensure that what you do is sustainable over the long term.

Other educational leaflets are available on request covering Formative and High Pruning techniques, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

This information was taken from our 2016 Woodland Heritage Journal, a PDF of this can be downloaded here.

A new bursary scheme has been created by Wood-Mizer UK to help people already working in, or considering a career in the timber supply chain. The bursary is administered by Woodland Heritage and helps to subsidise a place at its popular, ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ courses, held twice a year at Whitney Sawmills in Herefordshire.

The first bursary was awarded to David Hammond, an employment engagement director, who was able to attend May’s ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ course to assess its suitability as a training resource for ex-service personnel keen to get into the wood chain. David was recommended to attend the course by the Armed Forces’ charity, HighGround.

“Having attended the ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ course myself last year, I could see the tremendous benefits that all participants gained from it, regardless of where they work in the wood chain,” said Wood-Mizer UK’s General Manager, David Biggs. “The course reaches out to people wanting to start processing wood, whether as new entrants to the industry or as existing professionals keen to diversify and to add value to their current business operations. For Wood-Mizer, the new bursary is a sound investment to reach potential customers, all of whom also have the chance to try our LT-40 as part of the course’s itinerary.”

Speaking for HighGround, David Hammond added:

“Ex-service personnel are often used to and enjoy working outdoors, as well as having a rich variety of skills, many of which lend themselves to developing a career in forestry or timber processing. With the wood chain full of so many different options to developed employed or self-employed careers, I certainly see ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ courses as a sound introduction to the overall sector and very complementary to existing HighGround Rural Weeks which provide serving and ex-services personnel with an overview of the land-based sector, how their military skills and experience map into it, and what training and qualifications they will need for their chosen area.”

The nineteenth ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ course is due to be held at Whitney Sawmills between 26th-28th September 2016 with a dozen places available.

“Whilst we already have a list of potential attendees, we would be keen to receive expressions of interest from ‘end-users’ - particularly furniture designers and makers,” said Woodland Heritage’s Belinda Moore.

“The course fee is £750, but thanks to Wood-Mizer UK’s bursary one fortunate student will be able to attend for just £250, which is great value for a three-day course of this breadth and depth.”

More details about September’s course can be found at www.woodlandheritage.org.uk with the Wood-Mizer bursary open for applications from 1st to 31st July via the same website.

Image shown: David Hammond gaining experience of the Wood-Mizer LT-40 under the watchful eye of David Biggs;

Editor’s Notes

Woodland Heritage was established as a charity in 1994 by two cabinet makers keen to ‘put something back’. A membership-based organisation, the charity supports the resilient management of woodlands, the development of the timber supply chain, the furthering of knowledge and skills within the forestry and timber sectors as well as within the general public, and the tackling of threats to the future supply of high quality UK timber. As well as running the popular ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ courses and a Field Weekend each year, Woodland Heritage produces an annual Journal. A current priority for the charity is supporting research into Acute Oak Decline.

HighGround is a charity based in London which works with Service Leavers, Reservists and Veterans all over the UK to help them find jobs, careers and vocational opportunities in the land-based sector. for more information on Highground, please go to www.highground-uk.org.

Every other year The Tree Register organise a meeting and lecture to honour the memory of their Founder, Alan Mitchell. The Alan Mitchell Lecture is the centre-piece of the day, given by a distinguished speaker on a subject of likely appeal to members and of particular interest to Alan.

This year the lecture ‘New Trees’ will be held at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (RBGE) and the speaker will be Dr. John Grimshaw, Director of the Yorkshire Arboretum at Castle Howard, North Yorkshire. John is a trained botanist and passionate gardener with wide interests in plants and horticulture in general. He sits on several RHS committees and has written books (including New Trees) and numerous magazine articles.

In addition the National Tree Collections of Scotland (NTCS) are organising a coach trip from Edinburgh to Dawyck Botanic Garden, Peebles on Friday 10th June, available to all Lecture Ticket Holders at an additional charge. Details will be supplied with Lecture tickets.

Book your tickets now!

It promises to be a very interesting and informative day.

Tickets for the event cost £15 for Members (£20 for non-members) on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

For tickets, or for further information about the lecture, garden tour, light refreshments and participation in the Silent Auction of rare plants, please phone: 01234 768884 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

With thanks to the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and the National Tree Collections of Scotland for hosting this event.

For more information on The Tree Register visit their website by clicking here.

Two leading forestry experts return to Bangor University on Tuesday, 15th March at 7.30pm to speak to Bangor Forestry Students Association (BFSA) about their exciting and varied career paths to-date, as well as about the many links between Bangor University and the charity Woodland Heritage.

They are a thought-provoking double-act and will share invaluable experience and wisdom gained from their successes and mistakes. Perhaps it’s no surprise that they are now trustees of Woodland Heritage, an exciting charity working to revive our woodland culture.

2015 was a special year for Woodland Heritage with the appointment of its first employee, Development Director Guy Corbett-Marshall. As the new public face of Woodland Heritage, Guy will be present to meet with students and researchers and learn more about the many links between the charity and the university.

Woodland Heritage also runs the ‘From Woodland to Workshop’ training courses each year with the student receiving The Prince of Wales Award. The 2015 recipient is a Forestry@Bangor graduate, Nicholas Hill (MSc Environmental Forestry, 2015), who will receive his award as part of the event on 15th March.

Dr James Walmsley (PhD Forestry, 2009), lecturer in forestry at Bangor University and also a Woodland Heritage trustee said: “I’m delighted this event is taking place as these two speakers always inspire and enthuse audiences. Geraint and Graham will undoubtedly provide a fascinating insight into the management of native woodlands and explain the vital role of current and future foresters.”

For more information, please contact Dewi Roebuck (BFSA president) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Guy Corbett-Marshall This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.